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1500 questions
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Pre-Tolkien Orcs in myths or folklore?
So what I'm trying to understand is what exactly pre-Tolkien orcs were like in regards to folklore. I understand that Tolkien has had a massive influence on how we conceptualize many creatures from different myths such as dragons, wargs, and…
johnna_nyet
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Status of Euhemerus theory on Zeus
Euhemerus (4th Century BC) is famous for his attempt to interpret myths as deformed historical events. In particular he thought that Zeus was originally a Cretan king whose tomb could be found in Crete. This theory was followed by a few of his…
plannapus
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Has the mind's eye always been seen as residing in the head?
Our modern representations of imagination usually involve things being emitted from or contained within our heads. (Thought bubbles, for example, and the many pieces of "imagination" clip-art where things are exploding out the back of people's…
Display Name
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How were eclipses explained in Egyptian mythology?
Eclipses were probably one of the phenomena that puzzled the ancient people. How was it explained in Egyptian mythology, and were there any gods connected with it (like thunder is connected to Zeus)?
codingEnthusiast
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Does Hel have a role in Ragnarok?
During Ragnarok, Fenrir the wolf kills Odin and is then killed by Vidar. The Midgard Serpent Jormungandand and Thor kill each other.
What role does Hel, Loki's other child by Angrboda, play?
Girsan Virlee
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What is the significance of gods eating offspring in Greek mythology?
In Greek mythology Cronus ate his children. After he dies Zeus eats Metis, while she is pregnant with Athena. What is it with gods eating their children?
Young Guilo
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Why did Tāne marry his own daughter?
In Maori mythology, the progenitor of humanity was Tāne, a child of Father Sky and Mother Earth. In the more popular version of the tale, Tāne - desiring a mate - created the first woman using the soil of Kurawaka. Her name is Hineahuone, and…
Semaphore
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What is the symbolism behind Psyche's tasks?
The taskmaster in the story of Cupid and Psyche was Cupid's mother, the love goddess Venus or Aphrodite. Venus had never liked Psyche, so the opportunity of putting her to a series of tests gave Venus a chance to demand the seemingly impossible. In…
Hanilucas
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Does Baba Yaga ever desire the heart of Koschei the Deathless?
I've been re-reading Fables and Reflections, the sixth volume of The Sandman, and in the story title "The Hunt", I stumbled upon the following dialogue:
The story is full of Slavic folk lore, being told by a Slavic immigrant. Vassily, the man on…
Gallifreyan
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Why didn’t Zeus withhold fire from humans the second time?
It looks like Zeus punished Prometheus for stealing fire for humans, but that he then did nothing to take that fire away. While Prometheus was hanging on the rock, humans still possessed fire.
Was this because Zeus did not want to withhold fire from…
h22
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What parallels are there beween the myths of Atlantis and Mu?
Atlantis is a mythic civilisation lost underwater according to European mythology.
The Continent of Mu is a mythic civilisation lost underwater according to pre-columbian South American mythology.
The myths of Mu were researched and published by…
Chenmunka
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Why is there confusion about what the Sampo from the Kalevala is?
Reading the Wikipedia article on the Sampo, a mythical object central to the Finnish Kalevala saga, I was struck by an apparent contradiction. The translation of the object's description seemed, to me, to be very clear:
On one side the flour is…
Bob Tway
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Did the Sami affect Norse mythology?
Fairly simple question, but a broad one: Did the Sami people of northern Scandinavia have any impact on Norse mythology? If so, how?
Azor Ahai -him-
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When did Korrigans become part of the Breton folklore?
Korrigans are part of the modern Breton folklore, as water spirits. Some sources give them an origin in ancient Gaul (Thomas Keightley's 1892 "The Fairy Mythology" for instance). Is there any evidence for this?
From some of the stories surrounding…
plannapus
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Was Cerberus supposed to have only one "mind" (despite having three brains)?
Cerberus is a three headed dog, so normally you could think that he has three minds, one for each head/brain.
However, Ancient Greek medicine placed the rational soul in the heart, rather than the brain (for them the brain was a form of "cranial…
user2800789
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